The year was 1988, and I lived in a small little housing development with a neighbor who had a small 5 foot deep swimming pool. I can remember my father, Tim Stafford, asking me if I wanted to try scuba diving. Now to a 6 year old, I thought this was the coolest thing my dad could have ever asked me to do with him. So he hands me a scuba tank, first stage, and a second stage. The next thing I remember is, it is 1 hour later and I am still seating on the bottom Indian Style, breathing, and all the drama (what drama I was only 6 years old) seem to disappear. Each weekend, dad would get his tank filled and once again I would be 5 foot deep sitting Indian Style breathing until all air was gone. Back then, you had to be 12 years old to take the Open Water Course (through PADI), so the next 6 years was the longest 6 years of my life. Finally the day came and I turned 12. Dad rushed me down to the local dive shop, where we frequently went weekly, and signed me up for the Basic Open Water Scuba Course. My Instructors (Veterans in the Industry even way back when, and even still teaching to this day), Mickey Hollar (PADI-MSDT) and Gene Monday (PADI-MSDT and owner of The Dive Shop in Claremont, North Carolina), were great mentors for me. They worked with me in every aspect of scuba diving, not just learning the skills and academics, but they showed me the behind the scenes things that made a dive shop run. Over the years as I got older, I became good friends with both, eventually working with and for both, prior to opening my very own dive shop.
The next big change in my diving career was when I became a Dive Master. My Instructor (Mark Barringer, now current Instructor at my shop) took me under his wing, and began to teach me the skills of a leader. He taught me that there was more to just paying for a class, learning the material, doing the skills, and earning a certification. He mentored me and had me work an internship through him during my Dive Master Certification. Mark taught me the importance of self control as a dive professional. One thing that I still live by today is, no matter what I do, there will always be somebody watching, and that somebody may be influenced by me. If I get complacent in my actions and my procedures, then students may do the same resulting in an injury, or worse a fatality while diving.
Mark then continued my education by teaching my Assistant Instructor Course. Here is where he really taught me different training and teaching techniques that is a vital part of relating material to a student. Anybody can teach Scuba Diving (show a video, read a power point, administer a test) but being able to relate material to a student with a learning disability can become difficult at times unless you have a lot, and I do mean a lot of patience. Mark showed me that patience by being patient with me (I knew the material, my problem was teaching others about it). Finally it clicked, and I became an Assistant Instructor.
The next step was my Instructor rating. Andrew Katsamas (Owner of Lake Norman Scuba, Mooresville, North Carolina), was my next mentor that took me up to the next level. Andrew became one of the most influential mentors, because he helped me face the hurdle of diving physics. I have always been good at math, but physics has been a crutch for me, for many years. Andrew took the time and had the patience to work with me until I could comprehend the material. Both Andrew and Frank Richey (PADI Course Director) dedicated there time to make sure that when I went for my Instructor Examination I was completely prepared to not only pass the exam, but that I was also prepared to be an efficient and quality Instructor.
After teaching for a brief time (for the Dive Shop, Claremont, North Carolina,) I went to work for Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center, out of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Calvin Shaw (Owner and Instructor) took me under his wing next and allowed me multiple opportunities to learn what it meant to be a dive instructor. Each time a student who had a learning disability or who was more hesitant than your typical student, he would hand them off to me to see how I handled the situation. There were some that I would hand back to him, or I would ask him to audit my class, and give me advice on how he would handle the situation. I then became very comfortable with students that had major difficulties and embraced them as students, instead of handing them off, I would ask to take all students with learning disabilities and took great joy in watching them succeed under my leadership. Calvin was not only a diving mentor for me, he, as was I, worked as a Law Enforcement Officer, and being able to relate to him on that level helped immensely.
Doug Bannister (Former Instructor from The Dive Shop, Claremont, North Carolina, currently private Instructor in Florida), who I knew from my younger days as a teen at The Dive Shop, was my next mentor. He did my Instructor Crossover to PDIC (Professional Diving Instructors Corporation), and opened my eyes, teaching me there was way more to scuba diving than just PADI. The teaching philosophy that PDIC believes in strengthened my teaching abilities and made me even more dedicated to my students.
My next step was my Instructor Trainer Certification and Course Director certifications. Dan Carpenter (Owner of Lake Champlain Dive Shop, New York) came down from New York to North Carolina to train me. Dan, as was Calvin Shaw, was a retired Law Enforcement Officer, and I immediately had a connection with him that only fellow officers can understand. Dan not only taught me the Instructor Trainer course both through PDIC and SEI (Scuba Educators International, former YMCA Program), but he introduced me to the world of CMAS (World Confederation of Underwater Activities). After crossing over to CMAS, I obtained my highest rating to date, that of a 3 Star Moniteur Course Director. Dan also fulfilled a life time dream of mine, by inviting me to his house in New York, and teaching me the SEI Ice Diving course. Going under the ice is something that a lot of divers would never think about, but was a very surreal experience for me.
Now I currently Co-own and operate Lake Hickory Scuba & Marina, with my father who is also a PDIC Instructor. Mark Barringer has now come to work for me and is a valued member of Lake Hickory Scuba & Marina. We operate 7 days a week and continue the quality of training that I received starting back in the late 80s.
Tim Stafford, Gene Monday, Mickey Hollar, Mark Barringer, Andrew Katsamas, Frank Richey, Calvin Shaw, Doug Bannister, and Dan Carpenter have all contributed to making me the instructor that I am today. The two things that they all have in common are patience and dedication for their students. I have modeled myself to all of them and gave the same patience and dedication to all the students that I have taught. All 9 of these guys have been a role model that I have looked up to and strived to be like. They will always be dear to my heart.
The next big change in my diving career was when I became a Dive Master. My Instructor (Mark Barringer, now current Instructor at my shop) took me under his wing, and began to teach me the skills of a leader. He taught me that there was more to just paying for a class, learning the material, doing the skills, and earning a certification. He mentored me and had me work an internship through him during my Dive Master Certification. Mark taught me the importance of self control as a dive professional. One thing that I still live by today is, no matter what I do, there will always be somebody watching, and that somebody may be influenced by me. If I get complacent in my actions and my procedures, then students may do the same resulting in an injury, or worse a fatality while diving.
Mark then continued my education by teaching my Assistant Instructor Course. Here is where he really taught me different training and teaching techniques that is a vital part of relating material to a student. Anybody can teach Scuba Diving (show a video, read a power point, administer a test) but being able to relate material to a student with a learning disability can become difficult at times unless you have a lot, and I do mean a lot of patience. Mark showed me that patience by being patient with me (I knew the material, my problem was teaching others about it). Finally it clicked, and I became an Assistant Instructor.
The next step was my Instructor rating. Andrew Katsamas (Owner of Lake Norman Scuba, Mooresville, North Carolina), was my next mentor that took me up to the next level. Andrew became one of the most influential mentors, because he helped me face the hurdle of diving physics. I have always been good at math, but physics has been a crutch for me, for many years. Andrew took the time and had the patience to work with me until I could comprehend the material. Both Andrew and Frank Richey (PADI Course Director) dedicated there time to make sure that when I went for my Instructor Examination I was completely prepared to not only pass the exam, but that I was also prepared to be an efficient and quality Instructor.
After teaching for a brief time (for the Dive Shop, Claremont, North Carolina,) I went to work for Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center, out of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Calvin Shaw (Owner and Instructor) took me under his wing next and allowed me multiple opportunities to learn what it meant to be a dive instructor. Each time a student who had a learning disability or who was more hesitant than your typical student, he would hand them off to me to see how I handled the situation. There were some that I would hand back to him, or I would ask him to audit my class, and give me advice on how he would handle the situation. I then became very comfortable with students that had major difficulties and embraced them as students, instead of handing them off, I would ask to take all students with learning disabilities and took great joy in watching them succeed under my leadership. Calvin was not only a diving mentor for me, he, as was I, worked as a Law Enforcement Officer, and being able to relate to him on that level helped immensely.
Doug Bannister (Former Instructor from The Dive Shop, Claremont, North Carolina, currently private Instructor in Florida), who I knew from my younger days as a teen at The Dive Shop, was my next mentor. He did my Instructor Crossover to PDIC (Professional Diving Instructors Corporation), and opened my eyes, teaching me there was way more to scuba diving than just PADI. The teaching philosophy that PDIC believes in strengthened my teaching abilities and made me even more dedicated to my students.
My next step was my Instructor Trainer Certification and Course Director certifications. Dan Carpenter (Owner of Lake Champlain Dive Shop, New York) came down from New York to North Carolina to train me. Dan, as was Calvin Shaw, was a retired Law Enforcement Officer, and I immediately had a connection with him that only fellow officers can understand. Dan not only taught me the Instructor Trainer course both through PDIC and SEI (Scuba Educators International, former YMCA Program), but he introduced me to the world of CMAS (World Confederation of Underwater Activities). After crossing over to CMAS, I obtained my highest rating to date, that of a 3 Star Moniteur Course Director. Dan also fulfilled a life time dream of mine, by inviting me to his house in New York, and teaching me the SEI Ice Diving course. Going under the ice is something that a lot of divers would never think about, but was a very surreal experience for me.
Now I currently Co-own and operate Lake Hickory Scuba & Marina, with my father who is also a PDIC Instructor. Mark Barringer has now come to work for me and is a valued member of Lake Hickory Scuba & Marina. We operate 7 days a week and continue the quality of training that I received starting back in the late 80s.
Tim Stafford, Gene Monday, Mickey Hollar, Mark Barringer, Andrew Katsamas, Frank Richey, Calvin Shaw, Doug Bannister, and Dan Carpenter have all contributed to making me the instructor that I am today. The two things that they all have in common are patience and dedication for their students. I have modeled myself to all of them and gave the same patience and dedication to all the students that I have taught. All 9 of these guys have been a role model that I have looked up to and strived to be like. They will always be dear to my heart.
